BCQC, Sewing Myself Into a Corner

I've been working on my BCQC block, but I'm still not done. My problem is one of my own creation:  I beaded the upper pink section so heavily that I need to do more embroidery to balance the block.  So I'm still working on this:

I had no brown silk ribbon to use for the basket, so I used some old brown craft ribbon of unknown origin (polyester, maybe?).  It was stiff and could not be pierced by a needle, but I made it work for this basket.  Baskets are super fun!  I love the weaving.

Linking up:  Supermom No Cape

Thankful For My Sewing Room

In our house, company coming means the sewing room gets cleaned.  I don't want to have any traces of quilt gifts hanging around in case someone wanders in and sees what I'm working on.  We are having 25 people here for Thanksgiving.  This is a smallish crowd for us as it will be just my sisters and their families this year from my side.  My three brothers have other family obligations this year.  We'll see them all for Christmas and at Andrew's burial.  

Anyway, this is what my sewing room looks like when it is clean, which isn't very often.

In addition to the usual quilter's junk and scraps, I keep my unquilted tops, large pieces of backing, and shirts to repurpose hanging up in this closet.  It saves me from having to buy even more storage bins.  

I love the light I get during the day from this big window.  At night I could use more light.  Maybe Santa will bring me a new lamp for this room.

I keep my stash (mostly scraps) in the white tubs, sorted by color.

This year I am thankful for my  new sewing room!

Smart Phone Quilt Along

I finished the Facetime block this weekend.

Here are all my completed blocks.

I need quite a few more to have enough for a decent sized quilt, but this project is officially on hold now, so I can start Bonnie Hunter's new mystery this week.  I don't anticipate this mystery being completed as quickly as the others because I'm going to cut for my tumbler quilt as I go along, and I'm doing a lot more hand sewing in the evenings than I was.  

Linking up: Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday

BCQC Continued

I worked on my BCQC block this weekend.

Saturday night I wanted to work on it but hadn't been sent the next step.  My original plan was to save all the embellishing until the end, but I wanted to stitch, so I started beading.  

I  love the beading!  It is so much fun.  Kathy the teacher is a planner.  I am not.  I just started stitching, adding more and more beads and French knots,  It was so much fun!

My friends and family have asked what is it going to be, as if I need to turn this practice block into something else.  I tell them that this is a teaching piece.  I am learning how to crazy quilt, and if the block never gets finished or framed, that is ok.  This piece is for me to practice my stitching, and that is enough.

Linking up:
Super Mom No Cape

BCQC Update

I've completed all the seam stitching for my crazy quilt class.  Yesterday I started on the silk ribbon embroidery.  I've only done a little silk ribbon embroidery, and every time I do it, I have a hard time getting the tension right.  Silk ribbon needs to fluff a little, so you can't pull the ribbon taut and get beautiful flowers.  I am far from making beautiful flowers yet, but I'm satisfied with my irises.

 Wish I had made the flowers a little smaller to make room for some taller leaves.

 Have I interested you in crazy quilting yet?  Here's a link to the blog of Kathy Shaw, who teaches the free basic crazy quilting class.  BCQC

Smart Phone QAL

I'm way behind on my Smart Phone blocks, but I finished 2 this week.

You Tube:

And iTunes:

iTunes is a little wonky, but I think I can square it up when I add sashing.  This block was a bear!  No way I'm going to remake it!

BCQC Progress Picture

This week I've been working on my Basic Crazy Quilting Class project.  I've had a few minor difficulties, mostly caused by my own impatience to get stitching.  I ordered pearl cotton and silk ribbon online, and they were both supposed to be here by last Monday.  When the silk came, I realized that it was not going to co-ordinate very well with the pearl cotton I chose.  So I decided to look through threads I already had and see if  I had any threads that would work.

Years of cross stitching and picking up threads here and there have left me with a collection of WDW, GAST, overdyed silks and a few ribbons from various makers, Waterflowers, Waterlilies and a whole set of DMC flower thread I got when that was being discontinued.  I don't like to work in pastels very much, and the silk ribbon I had chosen from the online pictures was very pale.  I decided to use some of the fibers I already had to get started on the embroidery.  

I should finish this assignment today or tomorrow.  I only have the French knot flowers to finish.  (A note about my French knots:  they are really colonial knots, which are easier for me to do,) The French know flowers are supposed to lean in a pattern: right, straight, left, right, straight, left.  Mine do not.  I don't have that much control over my knots!  My flowers are random.  I thought random would look better than trying and almost succeeding at the pattern.

I'm not crazy about the overdyed silk floss I used for this herringbone stitch.  I started with 2 strands, but it looked too thin for the length of the stitches used, so I went back and stitched with 6 strands which looks a little messy to me, but I'm not ripping it out again.  

I am having a hard time getting used to the GIANT stitches in this piece.  I'm used to cross stitching on 32 ct. or 28 ct linen (16 or 14 stitches per inch).  Most of the stitches in this piece are 3/4 of an inch long.  To me, that calls for a heavier thread than either #8 or #12 pearl cotton. But since this is a class piece, I'm going to have to trust the teacher (she is great!), and do what she recommends.  By Thursday my pearl cotton arrived, and I was able to use some of that even though I think it will look a little garish with the silk ribbon colors I have now.

I have had some difficulty learning to use the templates for the seam stitches.  I can't seem to keep the templates straight on the line, so I have some extraneous pencil marks here and there.  I'm hoping the busyness of the embellishments will hide some of my imperfections. Again, I'm used to working on linen and using the threads to keep my stitches straight and uniform.  If I end up doing a lot of crazy quilting, I will need to use templates that I can see through,  printed on vellum or plastic, to keep my stitching lines where they need  to be,

Linking up:  Supermom No Cape

Trunk Full of Quilts and Stash Report

Whims and Fancies hosting a Trunk Full of Quilts, a link up to post your favorite quilts, After looking at all of my quilt pictures, I decided to chose my top three star quilts.

First there is Jaybird quilt's Gravity.  This is one of my latest finishes, made for my oldest son for his birthday next month.  I love the rainbow colors of this quilt!  The instruction are excellent.  It does use a couple of pricey rulers, which were a splurge for me. I will be making more Jaybird quilts since I now have the rulers and was pleased with how easily this one went together.

Next up is my orange and blue quilt.  I made this quilt for my third son's bed, which we use as a guest bed when company comes.  It never got used that way, though, because my oldest son moved into an apartment one summer and needed a full sized bed quilt, so he took it.  I'm hoping he will give this one back to me when he gets Gravity for his birthday.

 The orange and blue star quilt was a big challenge for me because I didn't have a design wall at the time, and my sewing space was in my bedroom.  Every time I wanted to work on this quilt, I had to unfold the stars and lay them out on our bed.  I had a hard time making sure the star points in the sashing all matched up with the right color cornerstones and that the oranges and blues weren't too close to blocks with the same oranges and blues.  It took me forever to get the layout right, and I ended up with 5 blocks left over because I couldn't stand to add one more row.

Finally, here is my version of Monterrey Medallion, made in red, white and blue, and renamed 'Give Me Liberty'.  This quilt was made for my middle son, who was 16 at the time, and a real challenge to parent! This quilt survived four years of dorm living and still looks great.  This is the quilt that taught me to always use color catchers,

Linking up:  Trunk Full of Quilts

Used this week:  0.625 yards (Angie's quilt binding)
Used Year to Date:  84.625 yards
Added this week:  0
Added Year to Date:  77.5 yards
Net USED:  7.125 yards

To see more stash reports:  Patchwork Times

Angie's Quit Done!

I started my sister Angie's quilt back in  March of 2014, knowing I wouldn't get it quilted until I drew here name for Christmas. I have 7 siblings, and we have been drawing names since I was about 10.  The quilt top has been done for over a year and a half, but I just got it longarmed last month and bound this week.

The quilt is 72" X 90".  My sister has a big personality, so I wanted a loud, colorful print for her quilt.  I'm very happy with the way this one turned out. The backing is hot pink flannel, and the pattern, which isn't showing up well in the pictures, is large, loose feathers.  If it shows up better after washing, I'll post another picture.  I really intended this quilt to be throw sized, but  I

got a little carried away.

If anyone has an idea of what is causing the dark spot on the upper right of this picture, please let me know.  I think it is something with the camera because it is showing up on every picture I've taken today.

Linking up: Crazy Mom Quilts

BCQC

I'm taking Kathy Shaw's Basic Crazy Quilting Class.  It is a free online class, but you have to buy the supplies (pearl cotton, beads, silk ribbon, muslin, frame and neutral fabric for the background). I already have a boatload of a fabric, Q-snap frames, and beads, but I had to buy silk ribbon and pearl cotton.  So far I have my basic block pieced, and I'm waiting for my pearl cotton to arrive in the mail.

 I've been impressed with Kathy's instructions so far. They are super detailed!  I am feeling a little constrained by some of the fabric and embroidery stitches, but this is a class, and I understand why everyone needs to do the same thing the same way.  I feel like I've already learned a lot about design,

Stash Report, Bricks and Stepping Stones Quilt Top Done

My goal was to get the inner border on Bricks and Stepping Stones this week.  I managed to get both borders on this afternoon, so the top is done!  And I don't hate it like I thought I would.  It isn't my favorite quilt, but I wouldn't be ashamed to give it to someone.  Next time I make it, I will do a more limited color palette.

Used this week:  5.25 ( 2 pillow cases plus quilt)                                                                                                        

Used Year to Date:  84.0 yards
Added this week:  5.5 (Ben's pillowcases, background smart phone quilt)
Added Year to Date:  77.5 yards
Net USED:  6.5 yards

Linking up:  Patchwork Times Stash Reports

Jo's Premystery UFO Challenge

Scraptastuc Tuesday

Bricks and Stepping Stones

I haven't worked that much on Bricks and Stepping Stones, but I got the center together.  Now it needs borders.

 

 Since I'm having a hard time getting motivated to work on this quilt, next week's goal is just to get on the inner border.

 I'm much more interested in working on the improv pieced 7 1/2 inch squares to the right of this quilt.  Not sure what I'm going to do with them, but I enjoy piecing them!

Linking up:  http://www.joscountryjunction.com/pre-mystery-ufo-challenge-4/